A new study by researchers at Nottingham Trent University suggests that the number of brachycephalic dogs being taken in by UK rescue and rehoming centres has doubled over three years.

For the study, the researchers analysed rehoming adverts placed on the websites of 16 Dogs Trust and RSPCA centres in 2015 and 2018. Data was collected on 1793 dogs across the 16 centres.

The percentage of dogs classified as 'extreme brachycephalic' using the Kennel Club definition increased from 2.76% (n=24) in 2015 to 5.19% (n=48) in 2018.

The researchers speculate that owners may be passing on the financial burden of caring for and treating chronic health issues in brachycephalic dogs to the rehoming charities.

Dr Anne Carter, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science at Nottingham Trent University said: "The increasing numbers and rising popularity of brachycephalic breeds is already influencing the demographic spread in rescue centres. This pattern that is likely to continue, particularly as these dogs reach 3–4 years old, which we have found is the most common age for dogs being relinquished.

"Differing breeds require highly contrasting intensities of care, housing, and particularly veterinary care. Owners may often choose brachycephalic dogs with limited consideration for their potential health conditions. These dogs then enter rescue centres, placing additional strain on resources due to cost of treatment and additional length of stay for recovery.”

Reference

1. Anne J. Carter & Jaime H. Martin (2020) Demographic Changes in UK Rescue Centre Dog Population between 2014 and 2018, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2020.1839755

PetSavers is on the hunt for the owners of old age dogs to take part in research designed to help help them and veterinary professionals provide the best care for their pets. 

Owners are being asked to provide a photo or video and a brief description that capture what it is like to live with and care for an older dog.

Dr Carri Westgarth, a senior lecturer in human-animal interaction at the University of Liverpool, has been awarded a citizen science grant from PetSavers to run the project. She plans to use the information gathered to help develop a ‘Canine Ageing and Wellbeing’ tool for use in veterinary practice.

Carri said: “Dogs are living up to twice as long as they did 40 years ago and there are implications for senior dogs’ healthcare and wellbeing.

"As life expectancy increases, so does the amount of time the dog may spend in poor health. It may be difficult for us to distinguish between the signs of serious age-related diseases and normal age-related changes in our dogs."

PetSavers says the data will contribute to our investigations of owner expectations, experiences and attitudes to ageing in dogs, including preventative care and general understanding of normal and abnormal changes during ageing.

Carri added: "Improving discussions between owners and veterinary professionals about senior dog care will help to increase owner understanding and involvement in care decisions for their pet. The resulting early detection of health problems should bring significant improvement to the quality of life of senior pets and the dog-owner relationship.

"Any adult UK residents who (currently or recently) live with an aged dog/s of any breed/s or health status are encouraged to participate by choosing an image or short video and telling us about it."

The research team will then analyse the submitted text and media for common themes. They may also use anonymised selected quotes to illustrate important findings in research publications such as scientific papers or conference presentations.

If you know any owners who might like to participate, do share this link with them: https://bit.ly/PetSaversOAPsPhoto

For more information, visit: https://www.petsavers.org.uk/our-research/oldagepets 

Data collection will close on Friday 10th July 2020.

The RCVS has published two reports on the impact of the pandemic on the personal and professional lives of veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons since March 2020.

The reports summarise the results of two surveys that were conducted between July and August last year.

17% of the 19,925 veterinary nurses who were sent the survey fully completed and submitted the questionnaire.

Some of the main findings included: 

• 67% of veterinary nurses experienced a change in shift patterns at some point in the pandemic, compared with 57% of veterinary surgeons;
• 49% of veterinary nurses worked additional hours due to others being furloughed, compared to 40% of veterinary surgeons;
• 37% of veterinary nurses were furloughed, compared with 23% of veterinary surgeons;
• Many veterinary nurses reported taking on extra responsibilities such as: general domestic cleaning (70%), clinical cleaning (65%) and reception work (63%);
• 53% of veterinary surgeons who worked extra hours did so completely unpaid or mostly unpaid, compared to 21% of veterinary nurses;
• 38% of veterinary surgeons and 40% of veterinary nurses had to self-isolate at some point during the pandemic;
• 38% of veterinary surgeons said they worked remotely at some point during the pandemic – with the peaks being in the earliest phase of the pandemic in March to May 2020. In comparison, 23.5% of veterinary nurses worked remotely during the pandemic;
• 7% of veterinary surgeons and 8% of veterinary nurses had to shield at some point during the pandemic due to being clinically vulnerable;

Around 40% of veterinary surgeons and over 40% of veterinary nurses said they had experienced concerns for their personal safety aside from catching Covid.

These safety concerns mostly related to client interactions at the practice either during the day or out-of-hours.

Many respondents experienced conflict between their personal wellbeing and professional role, and found it difficult to juggle their work and caring responsibilities.

Many respondents also said their mental health was adversely affected by the experience of working during the pandemic.

A large majority of respondents said they had personally seen an increase in caseload due to new animal ownership.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “While many of the results of the survey may not be especially surprising and confirm what we have already been told anecdotally, it is very important that we have this hard data to hand on the overall impact of the pandemic on individual members of the professions.

“These two reports complement the six surveys that we have conducted with veterinary practices on the economic impact of the pandemic to give us as clear and holistic a picture as possible about the challenges that the professions and the veterinary sector as a whole have faced since March 2020.

"This not only provides a useful historical snapshot, but builds an evidence base to inform future temporary changes should the pandemic continue into more waves, or should future such crises arise.

“The results of the two individual surveys make it clear it has been a tough time for the professions.

"A good proportion of respondents also acknowledged that positive developments have come from the past two years, including the way the profession has demonstrated remarkable resilience, flexibility and adaptability, as well as forging a stronger team spirit under such difficult circumstances.

“However, a large number of both vets and vet nurses who responded said that the experiences since March 2020 have left them feeling more pessimistic about veterinary work and their place within it.

"I would like to reassure members of the veterinary team that the RCVS is aware and understands.

"We tried throughout the pandemic to support the professions with relevant temporary guidance changes, and we are now working with a range of stakeholders on critical issues such as the workforce crisis, which has been in part caused by Covid.

"We are also developing tools, training and resources to support the professions, via our programmes such as RCVS Leadership and Mind Matters.”

The full coronavirus impact survey reports can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. 

The organisers of the VET Festival (20-21 May 2022, Loseley Park) have published the results of research they carried out with the Veterinary Management Group which seem to show tentative signs of improvement in the wellbeing of veterinary professionals, despite some areas which still give significant cause for concern.

400 people took part in the research, of which 76% described their mental health as ‘reasonable’ or ‘very good’, while almost three quarters 71% said there was someone at work they could talk to about their mental health and 80% knew where to access information and support.

This compared to 2019, when only 50% had even recognised veterinary wellbeing as an issue. 

So far so good.

However, on the flip side, 60% felt that their work/life balance was not right and 82% were worried about their financial situation.

As is well known, the pandemic placed further strain on veterinary professionals: 78% of respondents said their workload had increased since it struck, and  44% said they were working longer hours.

What's more, 63% felt that that changes in working practices introduced during the pandemic had not been beneficial to their mental health.

The survey results showed a number of interesting variations depending on the respondent's time in the profession and their role. 

For example, people who've been in the profession for more than ten years appeared to be more resilient than those who've been in the profession for six years or less, with 66% of the older hands saying the pandemic had had an impact on their mental heath, compared to 71% of the younger respondents. 

The older crowd also reported being more aware of where to access support and information (89% vs 71%) but feel they have fewer people they can talk to at work (68% vs 76%).

Interestingly, nurses felt they had more people they can talk to at work (76% vs 62% of vets)

The organisers say that overall, the research suggests that the veterinary profession is more aware of the pressures on veterinary teams and is taking some steps to mitigate it and support staff better. 

97% said they felt supported by their colleagues, 75% said they felt that their practice had strong leaders and managers and 90% said that they loved their job. 

50% said their practice offers online resources to support wellbeing at work, 41% offer counselling and 40% offer flexible working. 

When asked what more could be done to improve their wellbeing at work, simple solutions such as taking a lunch break, having a pleasant room at work in which they could relax and receiving recognition for hard work were the most commonly proposed.  

VET Festival will be offering a Wellness Hub, supported by MWI Animal Health, in which a range of practical activities will be offered to support delegates in improving their day-to-day wellbeing, with representatives of Vetlife also on hand to offer advice and support.  

Tickets for VET Festival can be bought here: https://www.vetfestival.co.uk/delegate-info/ticket-information

Agria Pet Insurance has announced that it will support American XL Bully owners by providing lifetime veterinary fee cover for both existing and new policy holders.

The company says that although some UK insurers are continuing to offer protection to existing policy holders, Agria is one of the few insurers to offer lifetime veterinary fee cover to new customers.

Insurance will be available to owners who have an exemption certificate.

Vicki Wentworth, Managing Director at Agria Pet Insurance, said: “We know that the last few months have been particularly difficult for owners of American XLBully dogs, and we are pleased to be able to reassure them that we can provide lifetime veterinary fee cover for their dog, so we can support them in prioritising their pet’s welfare”.

The company says that although it can provide cover for veterinary fees, it can't cover third party liability.

Agria is advising owners to contact an organisation such as Dogs Trust which can provide third party cover.

The RCVS will be holding a summit meeting this autumn to examine the issues surrounding veterinary workforce shortages and develop solutions.

The meeting follows growing concerns expressed both within the profession and in the national media about the shortage of veterinary surgeons in the UK. 

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO (pictured right), said: “Workforce shortages within the veterinary sector has been a concern for some time, however, in the past few months there has been a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances, which have come together to exacerbate the problem. The issues include the ongoing impact of the pandemic, burnout and fatigue within the profession; the UK’s exit from the European Union, which has seen a significant reduction in the number of EU vets joining the Register as well as an associated increase in the need for veterinary certification; and an increase in pet ownership, and therefore demand for veterinary services, over the course of the pandemic."

In advance of the meeting, which is due to be help in November, the College will be conducting research to better gauge the extent of the problem both nationally and regionally.

The meeting will then consider how recruitment, retention and return to work might address the problem.

Lizzie added: “While there has already been a lot of focus and discussions around recruitment and retention, something less spoken about is return, and the summit will consider the reasons why members of the profession may move away from clinical practice, and if there’s more scope for different ways of working that could bring people back into clinical practice.

“Ahead of the summit we will be reviewing all the latest data that we and other organisations have shared to better understand the gap between capacity and demand, the push and pull factors on decisions to either join or leave clinical practice and build a more evidence-based picture of veterinary workforce trends.”

The summit itself, the date of which is yet to be confirmed, will involve key veterinary stakeholders including the veterinary schools, veterinary employers and representative bodies, coming together to ensure that there will be a joined-up approach in finding solutions to the issues confronting the profession.

Lizzie said: “It may not necessarily be easy to identify all the solutions in one day, and they won’t all come from the RCVS, but opening up the conversation and getting the professions focused on taking appropriate action is an important first step.”

Meanwhile, RCVS President Kate Richards this week wrote to all vets and nurses to reassure them them that the RCVS was aware of the problem and the additional pressures they are under as a result.

In the letter she wrote: “In the face of current shortages, I would like to stress that we support practice teams in prioritising cases strictly according to the health and welfare needs of their patients, and in informing their clients of the need to do so.

“We would also urge veterinary surgeons to share their caseload as much as possible, delegating permitted procedures to their veterinary nurse colleagues wherever appropriate to do so.

"And, we would like to remind veterinary surgeons that their current 24/7 emergency cover obligations, as set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, are limited only to taking steps to provide 24-hour emergency first-aid and pain relief to animals according to their skills and the specific situation."

She also added that, while members of the profession may be anxious about a potential increase in the number of concerns being raised by clients because they are not able to offer the level of service they would ideally like to, the RCVS would always take into account the entire circumstances surrounding a complaint as part of its investigation process.

She also said that the College would also continue to raise awareness amongst animal owners of the acute challenges currently facing veterinary teams around the country, and to request their ongoing patience and understanding.

To assist the profession, a series of FAQs have been produced to help with different situations that vets may encounter at the moment, particularly around the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, and to provide further guidance on delegating procedures to veterinary nurses. These can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/

Three veterinary nurses have won monthly lifestyle subscription boxes up to the value of £150 in a NexGard Spectra parasite training competition.

Sally Rose RVN from Abervet in Aberdeen (pictured right), Jo Fuller RVN from Castle Vets in Farnborough and Gwen Raeburn RVN from Priory Close Vets in Somerset chose subscriptions to an arts and crafts ‘Witch Box’, a Hoppily Craft Beer Club box and a Nectar and Bumble box of bee-themed lifestyle items.

The nurses won the subscriptions after watching a NexGard Spectra online educational competition run in conjunction with BVNA during the association’s This is Us 2020 celebration of veterinary nursing. 

Sally said: "It was great to receive the news that I’d won the BVNA NexGard Spectra competition. I thought it would be a simple task of looking through a few choices of prizes, however I didn’t realise that there were so many! When I came to it, I picked The Witch Box arts and crafts box. Thank you NexGard Spectra for the fantastic prize!"

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded a veterinary surgeon who'd fallen victim to a corrupt system and consequently bribed a professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest.

Andreea Maria Bacaintan was convicted by the Bucharest Court of Law in October 2017 of bribing a professor during her final year at university in order to pass an examination, a charge to which she had pleaded guilty. 

Miss Bacaintan was fined and sentenced to a period of one year and four months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with requirements for supervision and unpaid community service work. The case against Miss Bacaintan was that this conviction renders her unfit to practise veterinary surgery.

However, the Committee also heard and accepted that Miss Bacaintan had been the victim of a dishonest scheme perpetrated by members of staff at the University to extort money from students before they would let them pass the exam.

At the outset of the hearing the respondent admitted the facts as contained in the charge and that her conviction rendered her unfit to practise veterinary surgery. However, notwithstanding Miss Bacaintan’s acceptance that she was unfit, the issue of whether or not she was fit to practice remained one for the Committee’s judgement.

The Committee considered whether or not Miss Bacaintan’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct. In coming to its decision, the Committee took into account the submissions it had heard from Nicole Curtis, acting for the College, and from Miss Bacaintan, who represented herself.

Ms Curtis submitted that the nature and circumstances of the offence, which involved an element of dishonesty and which led to the conviction, were such as to render Miss Bacaintan unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon in the UK. Miss Bacaintan’s conduct was also liable to have a seriously detrimental effect on the reputation of the profession, as it undermined the examination system.

The Committee also considered the mitigating factors associated with the conviction, namely that this was a single, isolated incident and that Miss Bacaintan was clearly the victim of a dishonest scheme perpetrated by staff at the University.

Considering both the aggravating and mitigating factors, the Committee was satisfied that Miss Bacaintan’s conduct fell far below the standard expected of a Registered Veterinary Surgeon.

The Committee then considered what sanction to impose on Miss Bacaintan. In doing so it took into account some of the written testimonials submitted on her behalf. The Committee was satisfied that Miss Bacaintan understood the magnitude of what she had done and was highly unlikely to repeat her dishonest behaviour.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Ian Green said: "This was a truly exceptional case where, whilst she had been dishonest, which the Committee in no way condoned, she had felt compelled to act in this way. The Committee was persuaded that Miss Bacaintan had herself been the victim of a corrupt system and had acted out of desperation in the final stages of her degree and with the genuine fear that if she did not “play the game” she would not graduate, thereby throwing away six years of hard work.

"It was notable that she did not succumb to the corrupt scheme until the third time of trying to pass this exam. It was clear from the evidence that she was not alone in paying up to try and pass this exam and that at least 30 and possibly many more students had done the same thing."

In such circumstances and with the significant mitigation, the Committee decided that the appropriate and proportionate sanction was to reprimand Miss Bacaintan and to warn her about her future conduct.

Based on the reported facts, what I'd like to know is why the DC even reprimanded a veterinary surgeon who was clearly being extorted herself, and what action was taken against the University staff?

The Committee’s full facts and findings can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

A study being conducted by the University of Liverpool and CVS has concluded that veterinary professionals have wide-ranging perceptions of what constitutes a workplace injury, with some harms being seen as just ‘everyday norms’. 

Starting in 2022 ‘The context, consequence and prevention of veterinary workplace injuries: a qualitative and quantitative study in the UK’ study aims to explore the context, consequences and behaviours surrounding veterinary workplace injuries - to improve the safety of the profession.

The first phase of the research was a cross-sectional survey of 740 broadly representative veterinary professionals.

Initial analysis, published in Occupational Medicine1, explored how injuries and their context are perceived by veterinary profession. 

Themes identified during this phase of analysis were:

• Injuries have become normalised, accepted and seen as everyday norms in veterinary practice - resulting in many not being reported;
• Differences in how injuries were defined, with small animal vets expecting injuries to involve blood, and equine/farm vets expecting them to reduce their ability to work or require the need for medical treatment;
• Equine and farm animal vets having a high threshold before acknowledging that an incident is a work-related injury. As such dangerous events, such as kicks, are seen as ‘everyday’ events and are not deemed an injury, and so will not be reported.
• Many suggest all injuries should be reported, however minor injuries were often overlooked, for example needlestick injuries;
• A large proportion of colleagues (especially vets) see reporting injuries as too onerous;
• Injuries caused by staff themselves (e.g. trips) were less likely to be reported than injuries that could be blamed on an external factor (e.g. dog bite). 

CVS says the veterinary industry should take note of the discrepancy of perception of what constitutes work-related injury in its practices and reporting protocols.

Practices may need an individualised approach to minimise their workplace injuries: some may need to work on revisiting their ideas around acceptable risk, whilst others may be good at minimising work-related harm, but have a complex or blame-associated reporting system which needs to be simplified.

Dr. John Tulloch, Lecturer and European Specialist in Veterinary Public Health, at the University of Liverpool who is leading the research, said: “Injuries that occur within veterinary practice can tragically at times be life-changing and are often avoidable.

"The objectives of this study are to understand how veterinary professionals define injuries and to understand what injuries they do or do not deem reportable.

"The results of this stage of the research have been both startling and complex.

"They highlight a profession in drastic need of cultural change and personal attitudes, with respect to injury prevention and mitigation.”

Dr. Imogen Schofield, Director of Clinical Research at CVS, said: “Using these findings, we will be able to develop and strengthen injury prevention measures through safety policy, education, and training.

"We anticipate that this project will result in safer workplaces within the wider veterinary community and, indirectly, in improved animal treatment through a fitter, healthier and safer profession.”

CVS says the research will lead to the development of open access educational tools aimed at promoting injury awareness and prevention.

The tools will focus on understanding why reporting injuries is important, how to develop a culture of accountability without blame, and when to seek medical attention and take time off work.

They will also investigate how to encourage clients to be safety ambassadors, and how to empower colleagues in challenging situations regarding restraint, aggressive patients and equine safety.

In addition, they will look at improving cat handling via International Society of Feline Medicine training and Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation, facilitating a rise in usage of hard hats in equine, and raising awareness of the risks associated with sharps plus sharp bin provision.

Reference:

1. T Furtado, M Whiting, I Schofield, R Jackson, J S P Tulloch, Pain, inconvenience and blame: defining work-related injuries in the veterinary workplace, Occupational Medicine, Volume 74, Issue 7, October 2024, Pages 501–507, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqae068

Vets North, the regional veterinary congress, is set to return as a face-to-face event at Haydock Park Racecourse on 15-16 September 2021. 

The Congress, which is organised by Improve International, has separate streams for small animal medicine and small animal surgery and a dedicated veterinary nursing stream.

There will also be an exhibition of the latest innovations in veterinary products and services running alongside the lectures.

Helen Richmond, Head of Publishing at Improve said: “While technological innovation has made online congresses much more engaging and accessible over the last year, we felt the time was right to bring Vets North back in a face-to-face environment. Many of our previous delegates have already told us how much they are looking forward to being able to learn and enjoy some social time together again.

“As usual this year’s programme will include presentations and lectures from global experts, who will give advice and share knowledge that can be implemented in practice immediately.  We would like to thank Elanco as our lead sponsor of this year’s Vets North and we also thank our other partners and sponsors for their support and loyalty during this difficult year.”

"Naturally, keeping delegates safe is our highest priority so we are working with the venue to ensure that the Government’s recommendations are implemented to the full and that Haydock Park is a COVID-secure venue.”

Early Bird tickets are available until the end of June.

For more information visit www.vetsnorth.com or call 01793 20805.

Vets Now has appointed the ex-RCVS President Mandisa Greene as its Medical Director.

Mandisa qualified from the Royal (Dick) Vet School in Edinburgh in 2008 and has since spent much of her career working in emergency and critical care. 

She served as the first black president of the RCVS in 2020/21 and has also worked for Harper Adams University as a lecturer in veterinary sciences. 

Mandisa will replace Laura Playforth, who is joining IVC Evidensia as group QI director, on the Vets Now board. 

She said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Vets Now family at such an interesting and challenging time for the veterinary professions. 

“I look forward to working together through innovative approaches to ensure our teams continue to deliver the highest standards of clinical care and client services.”

One of the titans of the veterinary profession, Professor Dick White, has announced he is launching Veterinary Specialists Scotland, a small animal referral centre in Livingstone, Scotland, in Spring/Summer 2020 with ECVS Diplomate and RCVS Specialist in surgery, Sam Woods.

Sam and Dick will be joint Clinical Directors of the hospital and co-owners of the business alongside the Pets at Home Vet Group, their Shared Venture Partner.

They say the vision is to create a world-class facility with a team of highly motivated veterinary specialists, nurses and support colleagues providing outstanding levels of service to meet the needs of referring veterinary surgeons, their clients and patients.

The purpose-built facility will offer specialist referral services across a range of disciplines, including anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, orthopaedics, neurology and soft tissue surgery. Emergency referrals will be accepted seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Sam said: "It is truly exciting to build a new team of experienced specialists who have clinical excellence as their priority. We also relish the chance to develop great relationships with professional colleagues in first opinion practices. This will allow our hospital to deliver an exceptional level of service for referring veterinary surgeons and their patients."

Dick said: “This is a very exciting step and I am delighted to be instrumental in ensuring that our new centre in Scotland offers the very best in veterinary care”. 

The hospital will be based at Deer Park in Livingston, with convenient parking and easy access to the M8 and other major road and rail networks. In addition to clinical services, it will provide a CPD programme, including internship and residency opportunities.

The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons has published its latest annual salary survey, which revealed that the median salary package for an RVN increased by 13%, from £27,000 to £30,500 between 2021 and 2022.

For locum nurses, the growth was even more pronounced, with daily rates up 38% to £199 and hourly rates up 18% to £23.50.

Student nurses lagged behind somewhat, with a growth of only 4% in median salary over the same period.

Salaries were predictably highest in London, Central and South East England, where the median was £31,074. 

Meanwhile in the North of England, the median was £25,273.

SPVS says it is very grateful to everyone that took the time to fill in the survey, and it hopes the survey provides an up to date benchmark tool to be used in practice as part of responsible leadership for employers and as valuable information to employees.

Full survey results are available to SPVS members here: https://spvs.org.uk/spvs-survey/